January 14, 2026
New ‘language’ or just clever plumbing?
Show HN: The Tsonic Programming Language
Write TypeScript, ship fast native apps—fans hype, skeptics: “not a new language”
TLDR: Tsonic compiles TypeScript into fast, single-file native apps via .NET, promising speed without a JavaScript runtime. Commenters cheered the idea but slammed the “programming language” branding, compared it to SharpTS, and mocked a broken mobile site—leaving naming and polish as the big questions for adoption.
Meet Tsonic, the “programming language” that’s a TypeScript-to-C# converter promising lightning-fast native apps. The launch flexes: write TypeScript, compile to single-file executables through Microsoft’s .NET NativeAOT (ahead-of-time compiling), and optionally sprinkle in JavaScript or Node-style features. But the crowd split: “So, not a separate language,” sniffed zahlman, puncturing the branding balloon. Another commenter dragged out receipts: “This looks like SharpTS,” calling it a remix, not a revolution.
Fans love the idea of familiar TypeScript while tapping .NET’s battle-tested library for files, crypto, and networking—without a bulky JavaScript runtime. Skeptics fired back that it’s clever plumbing, not a fresh language, and questioned the marketing. Then came the usability dunk: “The webpage is broken on mobile,” reported mkl, turning the demo into a scroll-fight on Firefox Android. Cue memes about “native speed, mobile site not so fast.”
Between cheers and eye-rolls, the vibe is: intriguing tech, spicy branding. If Tsonic can actually ship tiny, fast binaries and play nice with JS-style APIs and .NET libraries, devs might forgive the naming. Meanwhile, types asked about install steps (npm, Node 22) and whether the .NET tooling makes deployment simpler for teams. For now, the comments are the show—half excitement, half side-eye, fully caffeinated drama.
Key Points
- •Tsonic compiles TypeScript to C# and produces native executables using .NET NativeAOT.
- •It provides direct access to the .NET Base Class Library and supports optional JS and Node-style APIs via @tsonic/js and @tsonic/nodejs.
- •TypeScript features map cleanly to .NET: classes/interfaces/generics, async/await to Task/ValueTask, iterators/generators, and callbacks to Action/Func.
- •Installation is via npm install -g tsonic, requiring Node.js 22+ and Xcode Command Line Tools on macOS.
- •Examples demonstrate using .NET APIs for Console output, File I/O, collections, LINQ-style methods, and JSON serialization (System.Text.Json).